Anyone who has spent their weekends carrying band gear into country pubs knows there’s an authentic and honest feel to the regional music scene. Out in Orange, singer-songwriter Eleanor Hanson is carving out a space that is entirely her own. Her latest release, “Back On Track,” is a purposeful, upbeat change to her style, a catchy tune about dusting yourself off and dealing with life's challenges. It's a shift from the rawness of her earlier tracks like “Letters To Heaven” and “A Year Ago Today.” We asked Eleanor about the process of writing these songs through such a challenging time in her life.
“I released my debut single “A Year Ago Today” exactly one year after my father’s death. He was a musician around Orange himself, often playing in different bands throughout his life and also playing solo gigs. ‘A Year Ago Today’ was actually one of his original songs that he wrote back in the 90s, when I heard it for the first time when I was roughly 15 I asked him if he was still using it, and if I could have it one day, to which he agreed. I changed some of the lyrics to fit my style, and what I was feeling to fit the song. ‘A Year Ago Today’ was originally about a “turmoil relationship” his friend at the time was experiencing, I turned it into a deeply emotional track about losing a special father-daughter relationship. The instrumental to “Letters To Heaven”, which I released the following month was originally called “Eleanor’s Theme”, also composed by my dad. I wrote the lyrics in about 15 minutes, the words just poured out of me. I decided to add his personal voicemail at the beginning and then an automated “out of service” voice message at the end to really set that emotional tone of the song. I wanted it to be raw and emotional, hence why towards the end you can hear the emotion in my voice rising, because I was fighting back tears whilst singing. My third single “Back On Track”, was sort of a rushed concept. I had lyrics that I really liked and I thought would really sell, and I wanted to rebrand myself into something that was authentically me. It was like one chapter had closed and now I get to branch out into something completely new and different.”
Eleanor Hanson's sound blends grunge with jazz and pop-rock into an engaging mix. We were curious about what music she was listening to while bringing these songs together.
“My musical influences are a bit all over the place I will admit. A lot of my inspirations are artists I obviously came to discover myself whilst growing up, but I do also take influence from my parent’s generation and favourite artists. Artists like Amy Winehouse, Avril Lavigne, Paramore, Twin Temple, Lana Del Rey, The Beatles, Niall Horan, Demi Lovato, Joan Jett, and many more have definitely shaped my writing and music style, not just with how they sing and perform but how they write their lyrics and their songs.”
Eleanor's music is already making noise on Australian radio, with both “A Year Ago Today” and “Back On Track” currently spinning on Local Sounds. We asked her how these two singles set the stage for future releases.
“‘A Year Ago Today’ and ‘Back On Track’ are 2 very different songs from one another. When I released ‘A Year Ago Today’ I was constantly surrounding myself with writing lyrics, composing, mixing and mastering and just listening to music in general because it was how I could feel close to my dad even though he’s not here anymore. Now that I’m slowly pulling myself out of that situation of grief and loss I’m venturing into more grungy, indie and jazz tones. It doesn’t mean that the pain of losing my dad has gone away, believe me it’s still very much there, but I know he wouldn’t want me to dwell in my own sadness and he’d want me to write and produce music that’s authentic to me. So you can definitely expect more grungy, modern almost acid jazz type music from me in the future.”
We asked Eleanor Hanson how growing up in Orange shaped her approach to music, and whether regional musicians have to work harder to get noticed?
“I think regional artists don’t get nearly enough credit for their hard work and talent. There are so many local bands in Orange that I absolutely adore because they’re so authentic to themselves. I think as long as you stick with your craft, and you keep making music, you keep performing, you get your name out there and (for me personally), you constantly post on social media, the right people will start to follow you and support you. I think everyone in my life was expecting me to try and become this big pop star touring half the world, but honestly if even one person likes my music that’s good enough for me, I don’t do music for other people anyway, I’ve always done it for myself. It’s just a beautiful thing that people resonate with my work and like to follow along on my music journey.”
That down to earth, independent spirit flows straight into how Eleanor Hanson records her music. We asked about the recording process for these latest tracks,
“I was lucky enough to have someone in my life teach me about music, and push me to try the absolute best that I could. My dad taught me how to mix and master songs when I was extremely young (around maybe 9 or 10). We had a makeshift studio out in the shed where there were microphones, mixing tables, keyboards and all sorts of recording equipment. I posted my first YouTube cover when I was 10, it was called “Beggin’ On Your Knees’ from the Nickelodeon show ‘Victorious’. I had a really bad head cold whilst recording that but it didn’t stop me! You can definitely hear in the video how blocked up my nose was. I’ve never rented out a professional recording studio, I’ve always just recorded myself on my equipment out in the shed and honestly, I feel like it suits my style a lot. It shows just how raw my vocals can be.”
There is a charm, and and unpretentious community attitude in the way Eleanor Hanson comes across. We asked what a free day in Orange looks like for her, her favourite place to grab a coffee or what artists or bands she's keen to see live.
“I’m not really one to get coffee, I’d rather go to a local pub and listen to some great local talent. A few of my favourite local bands and singers are “Broken Ashtray’, ‘Nonbinary Code’, Jason Hill (who isn’t from Orange but plays here quite a lot). They are all so talented and really get the crowd moving on a night out.”
With momentum building and new listeners discovering her music, we finished up by asking what the next six to twleve months looks like on her calendar, and where music fans can track down her work.
“I’m hoping to try and get my first EP out by the middle to end of next year, with a few singles along the way. Right now, I think I might be done with releasing music for the year but that doesn’t mean I’m stopping making it. People can find out more about my music and what I’m up to by following me on social media. My TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are all under “EleanorHansonMusic” and my YouTube channel is just under the name “Eleanor Hanson”. My music is on all streaming platforms including but not limited to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Pandora and many more!”
Eleanor Hanson is definitely making music on her own terms. Keep an ear out because she’s just getting started. Learn more about Eleanor Hanson on Local Sounds
SoundVerge Editorial
Independent music journalism
